In recent times, handheld device applications, such as, for example, applications related to location based advertising, social networking, reminder services and the like, are driving the need for low power estimation of user's location. The handheld device applications are configured to be executed continuously at an application layer backend so as to monitor the user's locations and trigger specific actions at an application level upon the user's arrival at, and departure from, areas of interest. For example, such applications may recommend nearby shopping, eating and/or entertainment options or even provide notifications of friends who are currently in the area, upon estimating the user's location.
Pursuant to an exemplary scenario, satellite based navigation systems (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)) with appropriate periodicity (e.g., an appropriate duty cycle) may be implemented to achieve periodic estimation of user location. The handheld device applications may utilize the GNSS location estimation to trigger specific actions at the application level. However, the GNSS sensing periodicity is both fixed and independent of user context. For example, even if the user is stationary or positioned in an environment having low mobility conditions for an extended period of time (for example, the user may be at home or in an office where there is limited mobility), the sensing periodicity is maintained. Given that GNSS location sensing consumes up to 20 milliamperes (mA) when 1-minute of periodicity is used, sizable amount of power could be consumed during such an exercise, which may be undesirable.